Last December I made the Dear Husband a new bathrobe because his old one was practically falling apart. I remember thinking, “My robe is pretty worn out, too. I should make myself a new one.”
Fast forward eight months. Eight months! That’s how long it took me to get the job done. But the wait was worth it. Here’s my brand new kimono-style robe:
The fabric is a lovely Asian-inspired toile from Michael Miller Fabrics that’s been in my stash for a number of years. I probably bought it thinking to use it in a quilt. Fortunately I had purchased a fairly large piece, enough to eke out a bathrobe. Also in my stash was a piece of blue polka-dotted fabric that was a good choice for the contrasting band, belt, and pocket trim.
Here’s what the robe looks like from the back:
Rather than make belt loops and a loose belt as the pattern called for, I stitched the belt directly to the robe on the back:
Perhaps you can see the stitching a bit better in this next photo:
The Simplicity pattern I used (5314) didn’t include pockets — what bathrobe doesn’t have pockets, for heaven’s sake? — so of course I made my own. And because the toile fabric depicts large-scale scenes of people and objects like pagodas and bridges and musical instruments, I decided to match the design on the pockets to the fabric underneath.
To do that I made patterns for the pockets out of freezer paper. After positioning them and ironing them in place, I made registration lines on the pattern that lined up with the design underneath:
Then I lifted the freezer paper pattern from the robe and matched it with the same design elements on the fabric scraps I had left over after cutting out the robe. Voilà — fussy-cut pockets.
Here’s the right-side pocket pinned in place:
(You’ll notice I added an inch-wide strip of my contrasting polka-dotted fabric to the pockets for some extra design appeal.)
Here’s the pocket stitched in place:
I did the same thing with the pocket on the left side:
I’m very pleased with the way my new robe turned out. Can you picture me sitting out on the back deck tomorrow morning enjoying my morning coffee? Here’s my dress rehearsal:
Very pretty. It made me feel good seeing you happily sitting in your backyard. I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. Carolyn Browning
You and your new robe are stunning. I love attaching the belt and of course every robe needs pockets.
Lovely…the bathrobe and you!!
Very pretty, Dawn!
Absolutely adorable on a beautiful woman!
You look fabulous in your wonderful robe!! With this quarantine you can lounge around in it all day!!
Thank you for showing me the registration lines! So many times I wanted to line up something and it didn’t quite happen. Great tip! Enjoy your new robe, it’s beautiful.
Beautiful robe! Thank you for always providing a teaching moment with your posts; very inspirational!
Dawn, you are surely the master of fussy cutting! It looks like you used black thread to affix the pockets to the robe except for the contrasting strips where you used blue thread. Am I correct? If so, you are also the master of exquisite detail.
A lovely photo of my beautiful twin!
Nubs, you are correct about the thread. An OCD moment, perhaps? 😉
Perhaps, but a little OCD never hurt anybody! 😀
The robe is lovely, Dawn! I liked the way you figured out how to match the pockets, and of course a robe without pockets is not a robe, really! I have a pattern I have meant to use to make a new robe for ages and ages, so I don’t find your ‘lag time’ from idea to making at all unreasonable. Happy Coffee! Suzette
I’m the lucky one. Robed at breakfast across the table. Makes home quarantine into a delightful sojourn. Incidentally, my robe from DW another of her triumphs.
I LOVE IT! And you look marvelous, darling!
Absolutely love it! Especially the detail of the belt sewn right onto the back of the robe! No dropping or losing that belt! Great style, great look! Well done as always! Such a treat to see your art and craftsmanship!
You never cease to amaze me! That robe is beautiful! You always pay attention to every detail.
Very elegant! I love your sew-on-the-belt idea!…and of course, the pocket craftsmanship is impeccable as always! You are an inspiration!
Just lovely! (so is the model). 🙂